The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) advanced to the knockout round of the 2022 World Cup with a thrilling 1-0 win over Iran on Tuesday, setting up a date with Group A winners Holland. at 9 a.m. ET Saturday on FOX.
This is the third consecutive World Cup the USMNT has participated in where they have advanced beyond the group stage. However, the Stars and stripes lost their previous two matches in the round of 16. The U.S. fell 2-1 to Ghana after overtime in 2010 and 2-1 to Belgium after overtime in 2014 in the game that immortalized Tim Howard in U.S. soccer history as a goalkeeper. he made a World Cup record 16 saves against Belgium’s relentless attack.
Related: USMNT finds identity as a contender at the right time
Iran vs USA Recap: How far can the USMNT go?
The United States has not won a Men’s World Cup qualifier since 2002, when Landon Donovan helped lead the USMNT to a 2-0 victory (or, as he is famously nicknamed , “Dos A Cero”) over arch-rival Mexico.
Like the USMNT, the Netherlands did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup. However, the Dutch have had a much greater history of success in the knockout stages, reaching the final in 2010 and the semi-final in 2014.
The U.S. is also dealing with injuries to key forwards Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent. Pulisic, who suffered a pelvic contusion while scoring the winning goal against Iran, has insisted both publicly and to his teammates that he will be available on Saturday.
Related: US hero Christian Pulisic vows ‘I’ll be ready on Saturday’
Here’s how to bet the USA-Netherlands match, from the moneyline, draw odds, total over/under odds and expert pick (with odds via Bet FOX).
USA vs. Netherlands (10:00 a.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 3 FOX and FOX Sports app)
USA: +300 (bet $10 to win $40.00 total)
Netherlands: -120 (bet $10 to win $18.33 total)
Lucky draw: +210 (bet $10 to win $31.00 total)
Over/under total goals — 2.5
More than: +125 (bet $10 to win $22.50 total)
Under: -182 (bet $10 to win $15.50 total)
England, Spain and USMNT climb World Cup power rankings by Alexi Lalas
Pick through the FOX sports betting analyst Jason McIntyre:
The US was up to +400 when this line came out, but the first money went to the Americans. This is not the same Netherlands team that finished third at the 2014 World Cup. orange failed to qualify in 2018, and then at Euro 2020 (which was played in 2021 due to Covid), the Dutch were knocked out in the round of 16 by the Czech Republic.
But what the Netherlands do have, which the USMNT doesn’t, are forwards who can find the back of the net. 23-year-old rising star Cody Gakpo, who is 6-foot-4, scored in all three group stage games. It will be interesting to see if Gregg Berhalter sticks with Cameron Carter-Vickers as the starter at center back or reverts to Walker Zimmerman, who struggled at times in the first two games but was a valuable late substitute against Iran.
‘We’re brothers and we love the pressure’ – Weston McKennie on USA’s 2022 FIFA World Cup win over Iran
Dutch striker Memphis Depay has not been fully fit due to a hamstring injury but started in the third game against Qatar. Obviously, it will be necessary against an American defense that has not given up a goal on the road and only one goal in total (Gareth Bale’s penalty goal for Wales in the first goal of the group stage). Depay has scored 42 goals for the Netherlands. The combination of Depay and Gakpo will be a handful for the USA.
As sweaty as the last 20 minutes against Iran were for American soccer fans, the game was one of complete dominance. The expected goals (xG) stat evaluates the chances of scoring, and the United States posted a 1.42 in that game to a woeful .62 for Iran. In comparison, the USMNT played powerhouse England to a tie in scoring and nearly a tie in xG: .89 to .87.
Christian Pulisic’s health is obviously paramount. The U.S. should have some attacking opportunities against the Netherlands, which only plays with three defenses. Of course, defenders play for Manchester City (Nathan Ake), Liverpool (Virgil Van Dijk) and Ajax (Jurrien Timber), the highest level of European football. There are no USMNT players on any of these lists.
Can USMNT’s Josh Sargent and Yunus Musah be the spark against the Netherlands?
The USMNT’s biggest strength is in the midfield, and two players to watch are Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah behind the attack. Holland were at times lethargic in creating against Senegal, who were goalless in the first 80 minutes of that game, and Ecuador, where the Dutch were beaten 15-2 but drew 1-1.
The last time the USMNT advanced to the knockout round, in 2014, they were underdogs against Belgium. It was 0-0 after 90 minutes, and go look for Chris Wondoloski’s miss at the end of the game if you want to cry. The USA lost 2-1 in overtime, but this USMNT is far superior to this one. Given the form of both teams over three games, a US win wouldn’t surprise me.
I expect both teams to score, and if you want to take a flier, an overtime win for the U.S. is worth it.
TO PICK UP: Both teams score (+105 at FOX Bet)
TO PICK UP: USMNT to win in overtime (+1800 at FOX Bet)
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